The UK is finally entering the 4G LTE world, following the U.S. UK carriers Vodafone, O2, and Orange-T-Mobile merger Everything Everywhere (EE) will be offering the connectivity.
EE will be launching Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, HTC's Sensation XL LTE, and Huwaei's Ascend P1 LTE. The faster connectivity will support iPhone 5s and Nokia Lumia 920s, the latter releasing later this year. Lumia 920 will also be a time-limited exclusive on EE, though it was not specified for how long.
Regarding Vodafone's and O2's 4G LTE service, regulator Ofcom will allow O2 to offer 4G from June 2013. Everything Everything is offering 4G in weeks, meaning Vodafone and O2 may be playing catch-up for users that want 4G. Further, EE is offering 4G on the 1800mHz frequency. O2 and Vodafone will bid for use of the 800mHz and 2.6GHz bands at the end of this year.
"Ofcom today welcomed the significant progress that has been made in moving forward the delivery of competitive 4G services across across the UK. The progress means that the 4G auction process is on track to begin at the end of the year to enable competitive 4G services across [the] UK during the first half of 2013," the regulator added.
EE claims 98 percent of the UK will be 4G LTE accessible by 2014, with 16 cities getting the connectivity by the end of 2012.
LTE connectivity in the UK was previously confined to the capital, London. Even though Everything Everywhere claims 98 percent of the UK will see 4G, it remains to be seen if the remaining two percent are rural areas. The regions are traditionally slow to, or do not, get fast broadband. Therefore the trend will seemingly continue, though consumers will have to wait until the end of 2012 and 2013 to find see.
Everything Everywhere is the rebranding of Orange and T-Mobile's combined coverage. Users on either carrier will benefit from the other's service. Everything Everywhere is the first 4G LTE provider in the UK, lauching the coverage August this year.
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